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“You are here…” he began to say, and then wondered how much should really be said.

“You are here because God sent you to me.”

“Oh David!” Benedict protested and was about to walk away.

“It’s true,” David insisted, looking back at the boys. “Your mothers and fathers, for some reason or another, couldn’t do it right.”

“Do what right?” Tommy asked.

“Take care of you…they just didn’t have it in them. They weren’t strong enough.”

“Smart enough,” Tommy muttered.

“Sober enough,” Sebastian said.

“Stop,” David said gently. “Don’t do that.”

“Don’t do what? Be mad at them?” Benedict asked. He could feel his face reddening.

“No…no, you can be mad at them,” David said. “You can be mad all you want, but at some point, you need to let it go. You need to tell yourself that it doesn’t matter anymore. You need to forgive them for what they did and did not do, and you need to move on.”

“What if I can’t do that?” Tommy asked.

David thought a moment before answering. “If you can’t forgive and move on, then your feelings will grow and fester and they will eat you alive.” (The Destiny of Sunshine Ranch)

This is a snippet of the dialogue in a pivotal scene from my novel, The Destiny of Sunshine Ranch. It comes in the middle of the book and is between David and five of his foster-children, Sebastian, Eva, Tommy, Benedict, and Micah.

It was a heart-wrenching scene to write, and I confess that I cried a little as it played itself out. But it needed to happen. Recognizing the children’s cynicism is essential to the story. My hope is that young readers find the exchange emotionally stirring, although tears are optional.